Bleach Dipping

[djlen]

I have been experimenting with times and ratios for bleach dipping since I lost a bunch of Val. a while back and found that a 19:1 ratio is too strong for some of the more delicate varieties of plants.
I have come to find that a ratio of 25:1 and a dipping time of 45 seconds to 1 minute will kill just about any type algae while doing little damage at all to delicates.
It was even effective on BBA at that time and ratio.


Len

 

[happychem]

Good to know and thanks for that. I got some bba infested java moss from a friend around here and I've found that at 19:1 for about 1.5 minutes, while I didn't lose the plant, it's taking a long time to recover and is looking really washed out. Although part of it could have been the extent and duration of the infestation.

 

[beviking]

Sorry to inform you too late happychem but skepticalaquarist mentions mosses not being able to stand bleach as much as higher plants.

Len, I bleached my corkscrew vals for 1 min (19:1). Yes, I know I killed some in the past but that was at 2 minutes. Anyway, the larger plants actually faired much worse. I lost a few of the large plants but the small new plants were seemingly unaffected. The only large plants that survived were the ones I only dipped the leaves, not the roots. All the smaller plants I threw in roots and all. Just a related fyi.
In the future, I'll use your recommendation of 25:1.
Thanks
Bill

 

[happychem]

Hmmm, well, I should have read about that a little more carefully last time I was at that site. It was a while ago. I started to think that it may not be so good for it when the mixture started to look a bit green, or maybe that was my imagination.

Anyway, the moss is growing now and is well on the road to recovery, bba free. I guess that whatever the consequences, I wasn't going to put that moss in my aquarium without some harsh treatment anyway. It was pretty rough lookin'.

 

[djlen]

I used to bleach dip, when circumstances reared their ugly heads, my siphon tubes and other in-animates in a 50/50 solution, but it occurred to me that if 25:1 will kill BBA(one of the toughest) in anywhere from 45 secs. to 1 min. on plant leaves, it seemed stupid of me to risk the plants' health and waste bleach. It just made no sense.
Even if bleach is dirt cheap.
I keep tweaking mixtures and may even try 30 - 35:1 for my most precious Crypts. and the really delicate Vals. etc.
I'm particularly irritated by black Anubia leaves and want to dip them more frequently than in the past. With this new 'formula' they seem not only to come clean, but respond very positively to their 'baths'.

Len